Atherton's dome
by moonswirl
Summary: *part one of the Silent Ally series* A bit of an alternate universe, starts up around 285 south, with a few minor changes... plus flashbacks...
1. Into the world...

Atherton's dome  
  
Author's note: Part one of my Silent Ally series  
  
  
1989, near Roswell, New Mexico  
  
Out in the desert, under the night sky, a cave that had lay dormant for a few decades was about to welcome four outsiders into the world. Set as the four corners in a square, two boys and two girls. These were not ordinary children. They were aliens, hybrids, and the hope of a faraway land.  
  
The first boy and girl were already out, their bodies covered with pieces of the incubation pods that housed them as they gestated. Neither could speak, but they were too confused anyway.  
  
When the second boy joined them, he was as silent as them. The girl extended a hand to him, knowing somehow they were related, brother and sister. He turned back and indicated the last pod. The other girl was still 'sleeping'.  
  
The first two were walking to the far wall. The boy waved his hand over it, and a silver handprint appeared. He placed his hand over it, and the rock split, creating an opening. The girl shielded her eyes from the light with her hands. The boy left the cave not waiting for the others.  
  
The girl turned to her brother, urging him to follow her. He was about to go, when he heard a small noise from behind. The second girl had joined them. She was as lost as they were.  
  
The boy and two girls got out, meeting the other boy outside. They closed the wall, and walked away, the brother and sister held hands, with the other two on either side.  
  
*  
  
Down on the road, a minivan rolled along. The occupants, three couples, friends for over a decade chatted and laughed, on their way home. In the front, Philip and Diane Evans, behind them, Jay and Molly Harding, and in the back, Robert and Rachel Guerin.  
  
"That was some night," exclaimed Molly.  
  
"We should do this more often," added Rachel.  
  
"Definitely," agreed Diane.  
  
"Oh my..." came Philip's near whisper.  
  
All six had their eyes fixed in front of them as they stopped the car. None could speak as they observed the four children walking along the road. They had stopped and turned their heads to see the six tall people come to them.  
  
"What are you kids doing out here?" asked a frantic Diane. The children remained silent. "Can you talk?" Still nothing.  
  
"There's no one around. Who leaves kids in the desert?" asked Molly, practically crying.  
  
"I got the blankets out," Jay announced as he joined them.  
  
"Come on," Molly whispered, crouching and holding one of the blankets.  
  
The smallest one, the girl who'd joined them last, looked at the others and slowly walked into the blanket and Molly's arms.  
  
Rachel came next, and the boy who'd opened the door went to her.  
  
Diane approached the other two, sensing they couldn't be separated, took Philip forward with her, and soon they let them take them both. Diane took the boy, and the Philip got the girl.  
  
Back in the car, they sat the four children next to each other, on the knees of the three women, who'd taken the backseat, tightness be damned.  
  
By the time they'd reached their street, as they were neighbors, the children had dozed off.  
  
"We shouldn't separate them, not yet at least. You guys could stay over for tonight," suggested Diane. Everyone agreed.  
  
*  
  
October 4th 1999, Marathon, Texas  
  
The eight teens had found their way inside the dome. It had once belonged to a man named Atherton. They knew this place held many answers they'd been looking for. They searched for a while, trying to locate the lock the key they'd found could open. They were about to give up, but they found it. They stood there, unsure of what to do.  
  
*  
  
The morning after they'd been found in the desert, the four children were awakened by the smell of waffles, although they didn't know that was the name of it.  
  
Each had been given a large shirt, since none of the adults had clothes that would fit them.  
  
They walked to the smell, in the kitchen, to find the adults. None of the six of them had been able to sleep, so they talked all night. The room fell silent at the children's entrance.  
  
"Morning," said Diane, then, noticing they were sniffing for something that had definitely caught their attention, "You hungry?"  
  
They sat the kids at the table and placed plates of waffles in front of them.  
  
"Have you ever had waffles?" asked Rachel.  
  
"Waffles?" came the first word spoken by any of the four, from the first boy.  
  
This surprised the adults, and even more, when the other three joined in, chanting, "Waffles!" over and over.  
  
The three women looked at their husbands, a pleading look of which the three men knew the meaning, as they had argued about it all night. One look at the children, who were still chanting their first word while jumping up and down on their chairs, and the men consented.  
  
The children finally stopped their chant and were shown to use their forks. They tasted the waffles, and they looked unsure.  
  
The first girl had been looking at a bottle of Tabasco sauce that had remained on the table from before the adults' trip.  
  
"No, honey, that doesn't belong on waffles," said Diane, when she'd picked it up.  
  
But she insisted for someone to help her open it. Once that was done, she poured some on her meal and took another bite. Her face lit up suddenly, as she turned to her brother and made him taste some. He was excited too. He took the bottle and put some in the other two's plates and the same thing happened.  
  
The adults were confused, but also happy that the children were happy. Then they knew they never wanted to lose them.  
  
*  
  
Later that day, while the three men, all lawyers, with their own firm, 'Evans, Harding & Guerin', were already working on the adoptions, the three women took the kids to get them a few pieces of clothing each.  
  
It had been decided that the Evans family would adopt the brother and sister, the Hardings would take the other girl, and the Guerins would have the other boy.  
  
They were waiting in line to get to the cash register. They felt bad for the cashier, who was the only one there.  
  
The line was very long, so they started discussing names, with some help from a book of names they'd found.  
  
"Alright, we're up to M," said Molly.  
  
"Okay, shoot," said Rachel.  
  
She started reading down the list.  
  
"... Maverick, Max, ..."  
  
"Max... I like that," said Diane.  
  
"... Micah, Michael, ..."  
  
"Michael sounds good," said Rachel, "Okay, so we have the boys, what about the girls?"  
  
"Can I look? There were a couple I liked back there," said Diane. Molly handed it over. "I think I got it."  
  
"So...?" asked Rachel.  
  
"Isabel."  
  
"That's very nice," said Molly, then to her future daughter, "What are we gonna do about you?"  
  
Finally, it was their turn.  
  
"Billed together?" the cashier asked.  
  
"Yeah," said Molly.  
  
They figured they could separate it all later.  
  
The girl started ringing up the items. She smiled at the kids.  
  
"Well, aren't you the sweetest things I've ever seen?" She put her hand in her pocket and handed each of the kids a smiley-face sticker. All four showed bright smiles of their own. "I think I've got..." she went to her pocket again and found four pieces of candy. "Keep these for after dinner," she said with a wink.  
  
Molly found this girl go be so great.  
  
"What's your name?" she asked her.  
  
"I'm Tess," she said, smiling again.  
  
"Tess. It's nice to meet you," said Molly, putting her wallet back in her purse when they were done.  
  
"Bye!" Tess said to the seven of them as they headed out.  
  
"Bye!" said the kids.  
  
*  
  
That night, the men sat in the Harding living room.  
  
"Alright. Please welcome the newest additions to Evans, Harding and Guerin families," announced Rachel.  
  
"Say hello to Max Evans, Michael Guerin,..." started Diane.  
  
"... Isabel Evans and Tess Harding," finished Molly.  
  
The kids came in the room, wearing some of the outfits they'd bought that day. The men clapped, the women beamed, the boys smiled and the girls giggled.  
  
*  
  
"The key, Michael," insisted Isabel as they stood in the dome.  
  
He didn't have to be told twice. When he turned it, a door on the floor popped open, making them jump a bit.  
  
All were wide-eyed as they stood in shock. Eventually, they all went down to the lower level.  
  
"Jackpot," announced Michael.  
  
Knowing they wouldn't stay long, they grabbed a few things. Then, they quickly left the premises, anxious to take a look at their findings.  
  
*  
  
A week had passed, and the kids just kept on amazing the adults. In that time, they had learned to speak and were adjusting nicely to their new life. As a celebration, they would go out to dinner that night, their first family dinner out on the town, even if the adoptions weren't complete yet.  
  
The ten of them walked into the Crashdown Café and were almost run over by four children running around.  
  
"You get back here, Whitman!" yelled one of the two boys.  
  
The other one was in front of him, making his way through the dining room, obviously trying to lose the other boy.  
  
The two girls, one blond, one brunette, were running after the boys.  
  
"Kyle, leave him alone!" yelled the brunette.  
  
"Go, Alex! Go!" yelled the blond.  
  
All four stopped when they arrived in front of the others.  
  
"Hi!" said the kids, all at once.  
  
Before the adults could say a word, the eight kids ran off, sitting in two booths, the girls in one and the boys in the other. But that was okay because they knew them, or at least they knew their parents.  
  
"Nancy!" exclaimed Diane as she walked to Mrs. Parker.  
  
"Hey, how are you? I heard you guys were adopting kids," she said as she hugged her old friend.  
  
"Uh-huh, they're over there," she said, indicating them.  
"Well, it looks like they've made friends already," said Nancy, looking at her own daughter, Liz, with her long brown hair.  
  
Next to her were her best friend, Maria DeLuca, and Tess and Isabel. In the other, Alex Whitman, Kyle Valenti, and Max and Michael.  
  
"So are you babysitting, or..." asked Molly.  
  
"Well, actually, these four are always together lately, it seems. Especially since Kyle's mom left."  
  
"What? Michelle left?"  
  
"Yeah, I don't know what happened. Jim is really bummed out, and Kyle's hiding it, but I know he's miserable."  
  
Jim. Nancy was calling the Sheriff by his first name, but since their kids were now friends, it was a bit more normal.  
  
"Anyway, Liz, Maria, Alex and Kyle are here almost every day. So... care to tell me about these kids?"  
  
"Well, the one sitting next to Kyle is my son, Max, and at the end of the other booth is my daughter, Isabel," said Diane.  
  
"And next to Max is my son, Michael," said Rachel.  
  
"And last but not least, there's my daughter, sitting between Maria and Isabel, and her name is Tess," said Molly.  
  
"Well, why don't you guys sit at the counter and leave the kids together?" suggested Nancy.  
  
"I don't see why not," said Jay.  
  
"Take it back, Whitman!" they heard from behind, before seeing Alex, Kyle, Max, Michael, Liz, Maria, Isabel and Tess running around the dining room.  
  
  



	2. One year later...

Summer of 1990, Roswell New Mexico, the Hardings' backyard.  
  
The four girls, Liz, Maria, Isabel and Tess, were enjoying their afternoon, the first since Liz and Maria had finished their school year. The sun was shining and they were having a small party. The boys were over at the Guerins' home.  
  
It had been a year since the kids had met and they had become quick friends. Most of the time they'd split up as they were at that moment. Boys with boys and girls with girls. But they also got together, boys and girls, from time to time, mostly at the Crashdown.  
  
"Okay! My turn!" yelled Maria.  
  
They had installed the sprinklers and each would jump through the water. It was so hot that day, Jay had allowed them to play around with hoses.  
  
The other girls cheered her on as she prepared, making hand gestures to pretend she was a performer of some kind.  
  
But as she jumped through the water, her foot caught on something and she fell down. The girls rushed over to find Maria, crying and grabbing at her knee. There was a large cut and she was bleeding.  
  
Not sure of what else she could do, Tess extended her hand to her friend, but before she reached her, Isabel stopped her.  
  
"Tess, come with me to get something to clean this up. Liz, you stay with Maria."  
  
"Okay," said a scared Liz.  
  
Isabel dragged Tess inside.  
  
"Isabel, what are you doing?"  
  
"No, what are YOU doing?"  
  
"I just wanted to help her," said Tess, her voice shaking.  
  
"But you can't!"  
  
"WHY NOT?" Tess nearly yelled, her blonde curls bouncing up and down.  
  
A few months before, Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess had found out they could do certain things the others couldn't do, like making things change or going into people's dreams, making them see things that weren't really there. They didn't really understand what it was, but they knew not to tell.  
  
But it was harder for Tess, and if the others didn't stop her, she would have shown them to everyone already.  
  
"Why don't you want to help her? She's our FRIEND!"  
  
"Of course I want to help her, but... we can't help her like THAT, and you know it. It'll just have to get better by itself. Now come on," said Isabel as she once again took Tess with her.  
  
They brought a wet washcloth and some bandages in the backyard. Wanting to help the way she could, Tess cleaned the wound and applied the bandages.  
  
"All better now!" she announced.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
October 4th 1999, Roswell, New Mexico.  
  
"So we'll go to Kyle's house after dinner to look at the things we brought back from the dome," said Max.  
  
Tess' head shot up at the sound of her boyfriend's name.  
  
"Okay. Are the others coming?" asked Michael.  
  
"Yes," answered Max.  
  
"What's going on?" they heard Isabel say.  
  
They turned back to the front and all were speechless at the spectacle before them. Police cars were parked in front of Max and Isabel's home.  
  
"Should we...?" started Tess.  
  
They knew she meant 'Should Michael and I leave?'  
  
"No. You're friends and neighbors, it's okay. Besides, look who's there," said Isabel as they saw the Sheriff come towards them.  
  
"Max, Isabel, I'm afraid I have some bad news."  
  
"Mom..."  
  
"No, she's fine, she's over there with Rachel and Molly," he said, nodding hello to Michael and Tess, who returned the gesture.  
  
They walked to the three women while the Sheriff explained the situation.  
  
"Mom," said Isabel, as the four of them went to their respective mothers.  
  
"We were robbed," Diane mumbled.  
  
"I know, we heard," said Max.  
  
*  
  
Summer of 1990, Roswell, New Mexico, the Guerins' backyard.  
  
The four boys, Alex, Kyle, Max and Michael, were enjoying their afternoon, the first since Alex and Kyle had finished their school year. The sun was shining and they were having a small party. The girls were over at the Hardings' home.  
  
In one year, their lives had changed a lot. Max and Michael were like any normal boys, and would, with Isabel and Tess, start school the next fall.  
  
Kyle had recovered from his mom's departure, although he still had nightmares sometimes. And Alex was still getting on his nerves, so he didn't worry as much.  
  
"Hey, Kyle!" called out Alex.  
  
They were playing with their water guns and the sounds of splashes and such made it hard to hear exactly what was being said.  
  
"What?" he answered, before being hit by another round from Michael.  
  
"I heard you were dreaming about a certain someone the other night."  
  
Kyle was caught off guard and fell backwards.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Isabel said you were dreaming about Tess the other night."  
  
At that point, Max and Michael stopped too.  
  
"No, I didn't!" exclaimed Kyle, although his face said otherwise.  
  
"I knew it!" yelled Alex before starting his teasing of Kyle with 'Kyle and Tess, sitting in a tree,...'  
  
Kyle grabbed his water gun and unloaded it on Alex. Max and Michael, however, were still standing there.  
  
"Come on," said Michael.  
  
Max nodded and followed him after announcing, "We'll be right back," to Kyle and Alex.  
  
They ran over to Tess' backyard, two houses away. They came in to find Maria sitting on the ground, with the others around her. Tess was putting bandages on Maria's knee.  
  
"All better now!" Tess announced.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
Liz looked up then and saw the boys.  
  
"Hi Max! Hi Michael!"  
  
The others looked up also.  
  
"Hey Maria, are you okay?" asked Michael.  
  
"Yes. Tess fixed it."  
  
The boys' eyes went wide.  
  
Knowing what they were thinking, Isabel explained, "She cleaned the cut and put Band-Aids on it."  
  
They calmed down.  
  
"Isabel, Tess, can we talk?" asked Max.  
  
The four of them went inside.  
  
"Max, what's wrong?" asked Isabel.  
  
"We made the rules for a reason. Why aren't you following them?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You went into Kyle's dream."  
  
"Did not!"  
  
"Alex told us you told him."  
  
Isabel was stuck.  
  
"It was an accident?" she tried.  
  
"Yeah, right. I can't use my powers, but you can use yours?" Tess nearly yelled.  
  
"Well, guess what? He was dreaming about you!"  
  
"No, he wasn't!"  
  
"I was there, you weren't. He was dreaming about you!"  
  
"And what was he doing?"  
  
"Guess!"  
  
"Eww! Not that!"  
  
"Relax," Isabel giggled, "He was playing baseball or something and you were cheering for him."  
  
"Oh," said Tess, then, "Well don't do it again!"  
  
"Promise," Isabel said, holding her hands up, "I won't do it again."  
  
"Okay, I'll believe you for now. Come on, Michael, we should get back."  
  
"Okay."  
  
The boys left and the girls went back outside.  
  
"Where are Max and Michael?" asked Maria.  
  
"They left," said Tess.  
  
"Hey, guess what?" asked Isabel.  
  
"What?" said Liz and Maria.  
  
"Kyle had a dream about Tess!"  
  
"No way!", "I knew it!" and "ISABEL!" were Liz, Maria and Tess' responses, which came all at once.  
  
"That's it!"  
  
Tess picked up a hose and let the water loose on Isabel.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Isabel did the same. Five seconds later, a water war broke out, soon joined by the boys, who'd heard loud noises and come check it out.  
  
*  
  
Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess walked through the house, observing the damage.  
  
The floors were covered, furniture turned upside down. But they noticed that everything was still there.  
  
They hurried to Max's room and went straight for the box of items they'd brought back from the dome.  
  
"It's empty," said Max.  
  
They were devastated. They'd finally found something that could indicate where they came from... and it was gone.  
  
Max simply stood there, Michael leaned against the wall, and Tess and Isabel sat on Max's bed.  
  
"They came for it. Someone knew we had them and they didn't want us to," stated Isabel.  
  
"Who?" asked Tess.  
  
Isabel just shrugged.  
  
"Anything missing?" asked the Sheriff when he joined them.  
  
"They took the files from the dome. Other than that..."  
  
"Max, I'm so sorry. I know how much they meant to the four of you. I'll try to make this short, I'll get them out of here."  
  
"Thank you," said Michael.  
  
The Sheriff nodded and left.  
  
"So what are we supposed to do?" asked Isabel.  
  
"The meeting still holds. We need to discuss this. If someone came for the files, they could come for us, for any of us, any time. Now more than ever we need to be careful," said Max.  
  
"Okay," said Tess, then looking at her watch, "Come on, Is, our shift's starting in half an hour."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"We'll meet you there later. Tell Liz and Maria the meeting's there, after closing time. We'll tell Kyle and Alex," added Michael.  
  
"Alright. Later," said Isabel as the girls left.  
  
The guys stood in silence. Michael stuffed his hands in his coat pockets, like he always did. But this time, he felt something. He found something he'd forgotten he had. A picture he grabbed before leaving the dome.  
  
"Tonight after closing time," Max was telling Kyle on the phone.  
  
"Max!" said Michael.  
  
"What?"  
  
Michael showed him the picture and he nearly fell off his chair. They still had a chance.  



	3. Summer secrets...

Summer of 1996, Roswell, New Mexico, outside the Crashdown Café  
  
The four girls walked along, their celebratory cheers could be heard a mile away.  
  
"Summer!" shouted Isabel.  
  
"Vacation!" followed Maria.  
  
"We're free!" announced Tess.  
  
"Woo hoo!" yelled Liz.  
  
Finally, they calmed down.  
  
"This is so great! One more year, and we'll be in high school!" stated Maria.  
  
Four more 'Woo hoo's were heard, with a round of giggles.  
  
"So why did your dad want to see all of us?" asked Tess.  
  
"I don't know. He wouldn't say," said Liz.  
  
"Well, I guess we'll find out," said Isabel.  
  
Liz's dad was serving a couple at the counter when they came in.  
  
"Hey, dad!" said Liz.  
  
"Hey, Mr. Parker!" said the other three.  
  
"Hi, girls. Uh... go sit over there, I'll be with you in a minute," said Jeff Parker as he indicated the end of the counter.  
  
They each took a glass and filled them. Isabel and Tess added Tabasco to theirs, which still made Liz and Maria feel like they were gonna be sick.  
  
A few minutes later, Mr. Parker joined them.  
  
"Okay. You're probably all wondering why I asked you girls to come." They nodded. "Well, I had an idea and I discussed it with your parents and they agreed. I offer this to you, the four of you, because you're all like my daughters." The girls smiled, getting impatient to know what this was about. "If I hired you to work here, you would say..."  
  
"Yes!" announced the girls.  
  
"Do we get the uniform?" asked Liz.  
  
"Do we get paid?" asked Maria.  
  
"When do we start?" asked Tess.  
  
"What time?" asked Isabel.  
  
"Yes, yes, next week, and we'll decide later," answered Mr. Parker.  
  
They celebrated some more, hugged a bit, and then ran out of the café to go tell the guys.  
  
*  
  
October 4th 1999, Roswell, New Mexico, Crashdown Café  
  
"Come on," said Isabel in an exasperated tone, leaning against the counter, looking at the last customer, who was still sitting there, eating slowly.  
  
She turned back to look at Tess, who was filling the ketchup bottles.  
  
"Can't you just make him go away? I don't know... make him think he's late for something?"  
  
"Sorry," she said, closing a bottle.  
  
Isabel gave her a pleading look.  
  
"Give it up, Is, I've tried already. She's too stubborn," said Maria.  
  
"Thank you!" said Tess.  
  
"She's right. Once I asked her to make a kid stop teasing me and she just stood there while the kid kept asking me all these weird questions. From across the room," said Liz.  
  
"Hey, just trying to follow the rules, here. The rules, which if I remember correctly, were made by you and Max. If you don't like 'em, it's not my problem," said Tess, knowing what would come next. As expected, all three of her friends put on their best begging abilities to the max. "Alright, alright!" she said, trying not to laugh. 'They fell for it!' she thought. Now she could do it without being blamed.  
  
She closed her eyes and concentrated. Shortly after, the man got up, dropped money on the table and hurried out. Once he was far enough, the girls shouted a joyful, "Yes!"  
  
A few seconds later, the guys arrived.  
  
"Are we interrupting?" asked Max.  
  
"No, we're fine," said Liz.  
  
The eight sat at the counter and surrounding tables.  
  
"So... would you mind telling us why the meeting is here and now? I mean, we asked to finish early and we ended up closing the place," said Maria.  
  
"You didn't tell them?" Michael asked Isabel and Tess.  
  
"Tell us what?" asked Liz.  
  
"Did you tell them?" Isabel asked Michael, indicating Kyle and Alex.  
  
"No."  
  
"Tell us what? Hello? We're still here!" said Maria as she waved her hands around.  
  
"This morning there was a break-in at our house," said Max.  
  
"What!" asked Liz, Maria, Kyle and Alex at the same time.  
  
"They didn't take anything. Except the files from the dome," said Isabel.  
  
"I can't believe it. This is horrible," said Maria as she went to Michael.  
  
"Since we don't know who did this, we can't guarantee that the danger is over."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Alex asked his girlfriend.  
  
"We need to be careful. We have no idea what'll happen if we don't," said Michael.  
  
"So what now? We're back to square one," said Liz, looking to Max.  
  
"Not necessarily." That got the group's attention. "Show them, Michael."  
  
He nodded and placed the picture on the table for them to see.  
  
"I'd forgotten I'd taken it before leaving. I found it in my pocket after Is and Tess left the Evans' home when we were there."  
  
"What is this?" asked Maria.  
  
"A dome, I think... again."  
  
"It's different than the other," noted Liz, "It's just like... half a sphere. And there's no handle on the door."  
  
"We don't even know where it is," said Kyle.  
  
"I do," said Michael, "It's in the desert. I've seen it before."  
  
"So I guess this is good news. Did any of you guys have something with you from the dome? The first one, I mean," asked Tess.  
  
All shook their heads, except Isabel.  
  
"Hold on." She went to the back and returned a minute later. "I'd forgotten about it, too," she said, showing them a necklace.  
  
"I know that!" said Michael.  
  
"Me too!" said Tess.  
  
"Same here," said Max.  
  
"The four of us know it. It means something, I just know it does," said Isabel.  
  
"Maybe we'll get some answers at this dome," said Alex, looking at the picture.  
  
*  
  
"Welcome to the Crashdown Café. Can I take your order?" Maria asked the couple proudly.  
  
It was the girls' first day. The place was packed, so they had their hands full. Maria took the order and moved on, smiling at her friends when she passed them.  
  
Tess was at the cash register, when the guys came in. She smiled and went to them.  
  
"Table for four, please," said Kyle, trying to look official.  
  
"Right this way," Tess said, doing the same.  
  
Max, Michael and Alex had trouble hiding their grins as they watched them. Tess had a crush on Kyle and he did on her, both since they were seven. For some reason, they were the only ones who hadn't figured it out.  
  
The guys followed her to the booth and sat.  
  
"So... how's it going?" asked Kyle.  
  
"Fine. It's... great," she answered.  
  
Both were at a loss for words.  
  
Finally, Alex said, "I'm starving, can we order?"  
  
That snapped her out of it. She took the guys' orders and hurried away. Now that she was gone, they turned to Kyle.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why don't you just ask her out? You know you want to," stated Michael.  
  
"What? Are you crazy? I can't do that!" he said loudly.  
  
"Ha! So we were right! You do like her! I've been telling you for six years!" said Alex.  
  
"Shut up!" Kyle said, making sure Tess hadn't heard him. Max and Michael snickered. "Shut up or I'm telling Izzy you like her!"  
  
Alex stopped then, taking a quick glance in Max's direction.  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
"Oh, come on, Alex. Even I know you have the hots for my sister," said Max.  
  
"Well, while we're playing 'Love confessions', maybe we should talk about you and Liz." Max was silent and Michael laughed. "Or you and Maria," Alex continued, this time looking at Michael. He stopped also.  
  
"When did you become so perceptive, Whitman?"  
  
"Okay, here we go," said Tess, placing their orders on the table. "Why are you all so quiet? Usually, we can't get you to shut up."  
  
"It's nothing," said Kyle.  
  
Tess was suspicious. Finally, she just shrugged it off with, "Alright."  
  
She looked at them and then walked to the back of the café. They exhaled, releasing their breaths, not even realizing they were holding them.  
  
*  
  
Tess walked into the back of the café and met Liz, Maria and Isabel.  
  
"On break?" asked Liz.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Us too," said Maria.  
  
Tess sat with them.  
  
"The guys are here," she announced.  
  
"Are you okay?" asked Isabel.  
  
"Sure. Why?"  
  
"You look a little flustered."  
  
"I do?"  
  
"Oh, please! You're all red! Just ask him out already! You know you want to... WE know you want to," said Maria.  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Tess, trying to go for innocent.  
  
"Why don't I help you? You. Kyle. Kiss, kiss," said Liz, followed by Maria and Isabel bursting in giggles.  
  
"Stop it! I'm no worse than you and Max."  
  
"Gotta give her points there. I've seen the way you've been eyeing my brother," said Isabel.  
  
"Well, what about you and Alex, Izzy?" said Liz with a smile.  
  
Isabel was silent, but couldn't help blushing a bit.  
  
"Ha! Well, before you bust me for it, I'll come right out and say it. I like Michael Guerin. There," said Maria. All four girls couldn't stop laughing for a few minutes. Finally, Maria said, "How about this? We all ask our respective guys to go out... separately...on a date this weekend."  
  
"No way!" said Tess.  
  
"Are you crazy?" asked Liz.  
  
"Got a fever?" asked Isabel.  
  
"I dare you, Isabel Evans to ask Alex Whitman out on a date."  
  
All fell silent. They knew Isabel couldn't resist a dare. They also knew she always dragged them into it eventually.  
  
"Alright. But only if you three ask the others as well."  
  
They all considered it for a while and finally accepted.  
  
"Wow, look, break is over," said Liz.  
  
They got up and looked into the dining room at the guys' booth.  
  
"Come on, girls, we have dates on the line," said Maria.  



	4. Crushes...

September 18th 1999, Roswell, New Mexico, Crashdown Café  
  
"Okay. One Sigourney Weaver and one Will Smith. Anything else?" asked Liz to the man and woman.  
  
"No, it's okay," the man said.  
  
"Great."  
  
She walked away, joining Maria behind the counter.  
  
"I wish Isabel and Tess hadn't taken the day off today. The place is just... crazy!" Maria told her.  
  
"Well... at least our guys are here," said Liz, indicating Max and Michael sitting in their usual booth, the same the boys had always taken ever since they met, nine years before.  
  
"I see Is and Tess dragged Alex and Kyle into an outing again," whispered Maria.  
  
Liz smiled as Maria walked away with a coffee pot.  
  
"Refill?" she asked a man.  
  
"No! Go away!" he said, barely looking away from the guy sitting across from him.  
  
These two were in the middle of a very ugly argument, and she didn't hesitate to hurry away from them.  
  
She went around, filling a few cups here and there, before going back to Liz.  
  
"Like I said. Crazy."  
  
Liz snickered and smiled at Max, who was looking at her.  
  
"You're paying now! Not later!" came one of the two guys Maria had tried to serve.  
  
They could be heard throughout the room, very loud and clear. He knocked dishes off the table, they shattered on impact.  
  
Maria had moved a bit to the right, and when the dishes hit the ground, she looked to Liz, stunned to silence. The second guy grabbed the first and pulled out a gun. Everyone else hit the deck, but Liz couldn't move.  
  
The men struggled for a few seconds.  
  
When the gun went off, it was deafening.  
  
The men ran out.  
  
Maria looked around for Liz. She was lying on the ground.  
  
"Liz..." she near-whispered.  
  
Max heard and looked. Michael did too, and then said, "Max, go. I think it's okay to break the rules just this once."  
  
He didn't have to be told twice.  
  
He went over and Michael pulled Maria over.  
  
"Call an ambulance," he told her. She ran to the phone.  
  
Max knelt in front of Liz and tore her uniform opened. Blood was gushing from the hole and Max's face lost all its color.  
  
Taking control he placed his hand over it. He met Liz's eyes and was hit by images. He knew them. Images from their childhood.  
  
When it stopped, he removed his hand and her skin was clean and whole.  
  
"Max..." she managed to whisper.  
  
"It's okay," he told her.  
  
And then Michael and him ran out and drove off. Liz couldn't move, looking at the ketchup he had spilled on her without her noticing.  
  
Maria joined her, not sure of what to do or say.  
  
"You okay?"   
  
She was still looking outside.  
  
October 5th 1999, Roswell, New Mexico. Evans' home.  
  
"Hey. Ready?" asked Michael, as he and Tess met Max and Isabel in Max's room.  
  
"Yeah," said Max.  
  
"Okay, then. Let's go."  
  
They went to the kitchen, where their parents were all having breakfast together.  
  
"We're going on a road trip. We'll be back by tonight," said Max.  
  
"Alright," said Diane.  
  
"Where are you going?" asked Molly.  
  
"We don't know yet," Tess said, smiling to her mom.  
  
"Be careful," said Rachel.  
  
"We will, mom," said Michael.  
  
The four left.  
  
"At this point, I just let them do what they want. They always do this kind of thing like it's some big secret," said Philip.  
  
"I'm sure it's nothing bad," insisted Robert.  
  
"And if it gets to be too much, we'll talk to them," said Jay.  
  
Crashdown café  
  
Liz, Maria, Kyle and Alex sat at the counter, waiting for the others.  
  
"Hey, guys. What are you doing here?" asked Liz's mom.  
  
"We're waiting for Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess. We're going on a road trip. We'll be back before tonight," said Liz.  
  
"Okay... well you could have told me."  
  
"I told dad."  
  
"Oh. Do you want me to pack you a lunch?"  
  
"That'd be great!" said Maria.  
  
"Okay. The usual?"  
  
"Yes," they all answered.  
  
Nancy nodded and went off.  
  
Five minutes later, the others arrived. All eight paired off, Max and Liz, Michael and Maria, Alex and Isabel, and Kyle and Tess.  
  
"Okay, so what's the plan?" asked Alex.  
  
"Alex, Isabel, Liz and myself will take the Jeep. The others take the Jetta. If that's okay," said Max.  
  
All agreed.  
  
"Here you go!" said Nancy, as she set the bags on the counter.  
  
"Thanks, Mom!" said Liz, hugging her mom.  
  
They took the bags and split up in the two cars. Michael drove the Jetta, and Max drove the Jeep behind him.  
  
September 18th 1999, Roswell, New Mexico. Liz's balcony.  
  
Liz sat in silence, lost in her thoughts. 'What happened this morning?' she thought. It just didn't make any sense. She knew she'd been shot. She'd never felt that much pain in her whole life. And then she was okay.  
  
Max did something to her. But what?  
  
"Liz?" Maria said as she joined her.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Liz!"  
  
She turned and saw Kyle and Alex, followed by Isabel and Tess, and eventually Max and Michael.  
  
"We just heard. You okay?" asked Isabel frantically.  
  
Each of her friends hugged her, as if to make sure she was okay.  
  
"I'm fine. I think. It's just it doesn't make sense, the way things happened."  
  
Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess exchanged looks, each knowing they didn't have much of a choice. They only hoped they'd take it well.  
  
"What's going on?" asked Kyle, noticing it.  
  
"There's something we need to tell you. It's something we've wanted to tell you ever since the day we met. And we need you to promise you won't tell anyone." They nodded. Max checked with the others one more time. "Okay, well, it has to do with where were from."  
  
Isabel and Tess had their heads down, afraid to look at their reactions. Michael was looking at Maria, waiting to see how she'd take it. Max was looking at Liz, for the same reason. The other four looked to their boyfriends/girlfriends, already confused.  
  
October 5th 1999, the Jeep.  
  
Max followed the Jetta, unsure of where they were even going. He looked to Liz, who sat by his side. She smiled and he felt better.  
  
In the back, Alex and Isabel were silent, observing the landscape they passed.  
  
"So... do we know what we're doing when we get there?" Alex finally said.  
  
"Michael seems to know what he wants to do," said Isabel.  
  
"But he hasn't told you?" asked Liz.  
  
"No."  
  
"Guess we'll find out when we get there. I just hope we're all still in one piece when this is over," said Alex looking out at the sky.  
  
The others smiled and continued the trip in silence.  
  
The Jetta  
  
Michael drove the vehicle, while discussing the new English teacher with Kyle. The girls were in the back, talking about a movie they wanted to go see. It was obvious they didn't want to talk about the dome.  
  
It kinda scared them, 'cause they had no idea what awaited them there. Not that it was a problem. All understood how important it was. Also, they liked these road trips, all of them, nothing to worry about... they loved it.  
  
Michael looked at Maria in the rearview mirror. He just hoped she wouldn't get hurt in the process. This girl had been a great friend for so long, a great girlfriend now.  
  
The Dome  
  
They had arrived.  
  
It was just like in the picture. Still no handle on the door.  
  
Both cars were parked not too far, but not too close to it.  
  
The eight stood speechless in front of it.  
  
"So what now?" asked Kyle.  
  
"I don't know," said Michael.  
  
"Why don't we eat first?" asked Tess.  
  
"Good idea," said Liz.  



End file.
